myZou Wish List

We may be in the middle of the fall semester, but enrollment for Spring 2008 has already begun. While you’re waiting (with baited breath, I’m sure) for your designated enrollment date, you might want to consider completing your “wish list” in myZou. Rather than searching around for classes the day of, you can go into myZou as you hear about a class you would like to take and add that to your wish list. Just sign into myZou, click on “Self Service,” “Enrollment,” and “Wish List.&rdquo After selecting Spring Semester 2008, you can search for classes (using at least two search criteria) and select them to add to your wish list. Try it out to for yourself to see whether the wish list smooths out your registration process.

Schedule some clay time

I recently discovered the joy of molding wet, gooey clay into asymmetrical dishes for my family. OK, bowls. No matter what I intend to make, it somehow manages to become a small bowl. But the good news is that small bowls come in handy. I'm no artist in the traditional sense. I can't even draw a horse (despite the fact that my daughter is constantly requesting them). But there's something different about pottery. Creating a bowl takes strength and concentration and, in my case, the ability to go with the flow and accept that what you end up with is not necessarily what you were aiming for. Then there's the glazing—a bit more "artsy," but, still, it's hard to go wrong. As long as the entire piece gets covered, it's a functional dish.

On campus we have an invaluable resource—the Brady Craft Studio. Students get discounts on all class fees and can take advantage of studio time and access to glazes and kilns. The studio regularly offers classes in pottery, photography, jewelry, woodshop, tile making and painting. In fact, a new session starts the week of Oct. 22, 2007. The studio also offers a series of DIY workshops (one-night classes) in knitting, washer game sets, polymer bead making, bookbinding, handmade paper and more. Contact the craft studio at 882-2889 or craftstudio@missouri.edu.

Also in Columbia is Access Arts, a community studio. Check out their offerings at http://accessarts.missouri.org/.

Money Management by Mint

Have you ever had trouble keeping track of your various credit cards, bank accounts and savings accounts? If you have (and I know I certainly have), then Mint.com might be a useful tool. This free Web site allows you to add credit cards and bank accounts to your account. From there, Mint updates the data daily and allows you to sign up for alerts when your accounts are low, your credit card is close to being maxed out, or when a bill is due. Other features include budget setting, expenditure tracking and analysis of spending trends. All of this adds up to one powerful tool that should make your financial life much more organized.

As far as security goes, it is up to you to decide whether you are comfortable with the thought of aggregating all of your financial information. Familiarize yourself with Mint’s Safety and Security Policy and read Lifehacker’s post “Is Mint Ready for Your Money?” to get a better idea of what Mint’s actual policies are and what measures they are taking to keep your information secure.

Jobby-Job Thoughts for Those About to Get Real Jobs

Seems like 4 out of 5 graduate students in my life are looking for a job. And I know from listening to them how hard it can be. Honestly, I'm really not listening that often. They sure do talk about it a lot, though. At least I think that's what they are talking about. So, in the interest of my job seeking friends, I present a few links that will make you feel like you are working on getting a job, even though you are just reading articles on the internet. And I'm pretty sure one of the things I've learned from my friends is that the important part is not actually looking for a job, but just feeling like you looked for a job. So, by simply reading this blog post, you've had a good day on that front. But first, a few interview questions to prepare for..

• What is your greatest stength/weakness?
• Tell me about a time you failed/did something creative/succeeded.
• If you had any superpower, what would it be and why?
• Why are manhole covers round? (I actually go this one once)
• If they would have us believe that Han didn't shoot first, how did Greedo manage to miss?

And finally, a few semi-helpful links...

• What else can I do? (Non-academic jobs for PhDs)
• Finding an Academic Job
• Career Builder.com

Graduate School on Facebook

The Graduate School now has a home on Facebook — a place where you can network with other grad students and alumni and discuss current issues. We also hope to use it as a forum to let you know about the latest Graduate School news, as well as to connect with potential grad students. So join the Mizzou Graduate School group, and let us know what's on your mind.

Mizzou Homecoming 2007

Homecoming may not be for another week, but I think it’s worth mentioning a few of this year’s events so you have adequate time to plan for the big weekend! If you weren’t already aware, Mizzou is the originator of the Homecoming tradition, which was began in 1911 with the MU Director of Athletics’ appeal to alumni to "come home" for the football game against Kansas. The tradition continues with the 96^th annual Homecoming game.

You can view the complete Homecoming schedule here. Although Homecoming events have officially been going on since October 3, there are a number of events yet to come. One of the more well-known events, House Decorations, is a great event for both families and students. Students in Greek Houses decorate enormous backdrops that are displayed in the background while students put on humorous, homecoming-related skits. Spectators can walk from house to house, admiring the massive decorations and being entertained by the short skits. Also, several houses in recent years have opted to hold a small “carnival’ in place of the traditional decorations and donate the money that would have been spent on “house decs” on charitable causes instead.

The Homecoming Parade, which takes place the morning of the Big Game, is another great event that makes you appreciate being part of such a long-standing tradition. After getting in the school spirit frame of mind from House Decs on Friday night and the Homecoming Parade on Saturday morning, you’re ready to cheer on the team at the game! Whether you participate wholeheartedly in every event, or whether you only attend 15 minutes of the game, it’s hard to avoid the infectious spirit everyone has around Homecoming.

Hartsburg Pumpkin Festival

As Halloween approaches, many people are thinking about costumes, haunted houses and…pumpkins! What better what to celebrate fall and Halloween than with an official pumpkin festival? The Hartsburg Pumpkin Festival draws in thousands of visitors in the second weekend of October (that’s October 13 and 14 this year). Festival-goers can enjoy the numerous craft vendors, petting zoo, pony rides, food booths and—of course—pumpkins galore and a variety of pumpkin activities for the whole family. So get out and make the 30-minute drive from Columbia to charming Hartsburg to have a bit of your own pumpkin-related fun this year.

Photo courtesy of flickr user dangerding.

Comfort food ready when you are

When the leaves start to turn, my instincts start calling for comfort food. Ahh, chicken and dumplings, potato leek soup, beef stew... Where's Mom when you need her? When you're a grad student, you can't sit around for 2 hours while the soup simmers on the stove. Enter the slow cooker. One of the marvels of the slow cooker is that most the things you'd make in it can't really cook too long. In fact, as long as there's enough liquid in there, meat just keeps getting more tender.

My favorite slow cooker trick is putting in frozen meat in the morning, usually with some water, and at the end of the day I have perfectly cooked meat to add to a dish. (Of course roasts and other large meats need to thaw first, though.) A few times a week I throw in a package of boneless, skinless chicken breasts with about 1/3 cup of water, and in 4-6 hours I have meat to add to enchiladas, chicken pot pie, or even just to serve over rice with a garlic ginger sauce. (My slow cooker might be fast — it usually takes only 4 hours for chicken breasts, frozen or not.)

A little experimentation, and you can turn almost any comfort food recipe into a slow cooker recipe. You generally have to cook dried beans a bit before adding them, and it can be a good idea to brown some meats in order to seal in the juices. Onions are great if sautéed in butter first, and rice and pasta should be cooked separately on the stove.

Crock-pot.com has some recipe suggestions as well as a good selection of slow cookers.

Enjoy!

A note for theatre junkies

If you're bored with downtown Columbia (or "The District", which I still think is kind of silly), and you love the theater, you might want to check out the Columbia Entertainment Company. It's a local theater group, and right now they're doing a production of "She Loves Me". That's the same book that "You've Got Mail" is based on, if you're not working on your PhD in Romantic Comedy. The show runs from Sept. 27 to October 14. Tickets are $12 for adults and $10 for kids and seniors.